Donkey Punch Brewery opens in Redlands

While the former has been producing and selling to bars and restaurants, we’re still waiting on the opening of the brewery’s tasting room.

The latter, however, is open!

Donkey Punch Brewery, 2351 W. Lugonia Ave., Suite G, had its soft opening on Saturday, in advance of its grand opening celebration, which will take place beginning at 11 a.m. this coming Saturday (October 27).
We happened to stop by on Saturday to finally get a chance to check out the tasting room and sample some of what Donkey Punch had to offer.

The tasting room itself is currently a fairly sparse affair with about half a dozen pub tables set up. However, we’re told chairs are on the way!

It’s a good-sized space (facing Lugonia Avenue) with a few fall decorations along the bar. There’s a wall separating it from brewing area itself, so it doesn’t feel like you’re in the way of the production process.

A big screen TV dominates one wall, the brewery’s logo another.

Decisions…decisions!

Opening day, the brewery had seven beers available, with two more nearly ready to pour.

There were several interesting brews I wanted to try, so I started with a flight of four: Vanilla Blonde, Lemon Caliente, Buckwheat Honey and an as-yet-unnamed seasonal beer.

All were good, but I think I preferred the Vanilla Blonde, having never had a vanilla beer before, and the Lemon Caliente, which benefits from a hint of added habaneros.

I also got to taste what they’re calling a 50/50 — half Orange Punch and half Vanilla Blonde, and an unnamed concoction of half Orange Punch and half seasonal, which tasted a little like a spiced cider.

I rounded out my visit with samples of the Amberlicious and the Jackass IPA, which was described to me as a “storter,” a combination stout and porter. The IPA was probably my favorite of the bunch — chocolaty like a stout, but with some of the hoppiness of it being an IPA.

The brewery’s logo dominates one wall in the tasting room

The only downside is that if you want to visit the tasting room yourself, you’ll have to wait until Wednesday. It’s closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

The schedule the rest of the week? The tasting room is open at 11 a.m. Wednesday through Sunday and closes at 9 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday and 10 p.m. the other three days.